The principle savant, consoling ascetic,
fundamental researcher. Sheikh Abu
Masood Eshbili Andalusi. His Holiness
was famous among the mystics and
outstanding divine leaders of the right
way. He met and conversed with many
learned notables, as Sheikh Abdul Qader
Jilani. He wore the robe of sincerity
from the hands of His Holiness
Abol-Barakat and under his attention was
guided to the degree of perfection and
attained the position of successor ship
and his vicegerency and after him sat on
the throne of guidance and was engaged
in guidance of seekers and wayfarers.
Among those who had found guidance, he
endeavored to train Sheikh Abu Madyan
till he led him to perfection and to the
position to be his vicegerent. The death
of His Holiness Sheikh Abu Masood was in
the year 579 Hijri (1183 AD) and the
words “Lover of truth” is the Article of
Date for his death.[1]

His sacred shrine in Bagdad is in the
cemetery of Imam Ahmad Hanbal.

Contemporaries of His Holiness from
Mystics and Sheikhs:

Seyed Ahmad Refaie

From Caliphs:

Al Nasser-li-Dinallah Abbasi

From Sultans:

Sultan Salah-e-din Ayyubi in Egypt

From religious authorities, jurists and
philosophers:

1) Abu Abdullah Mohammad bin Mansoor bin
Ahmad famed as Ibn Idris.

2) Abol Fatih Yahya bin Habashi famed as
Shahab-e-din Sohrevardi

Few sayings of His Holiness:

Said, I was passing by the side of the
Tigris River, it crossed in my mind,
that does Almighty God have any
worshippers who worship Him in water.
This thought was still in my mind when
the water of the Tigris River split open
and a man appeared and said: yes, O Abu
Masood, the Exalted God has worshippers
who worship Him in water and I am one of
them. I am from Takrit[2] and have
come out from there and said after
fifteen days in Takrit such specific
event will occur. After fifteen days
that event which he had said did occur
as such. Also one day, among his
disciples the Sheikh said: It is fifteen
years now that the Exalted God has given
me sovereignty over domain, but I do not
exercise sovereignty. Ibn Taid who was
among the audience asked: why don’t you
exercise sovereignty? Said: I leave the
sovereignty to the Exalted God, so to
exercise sovereignty as what He wishes.

One of the dervishes who recently had
come at his service saw a group of
disciples gathered around the Sheikh,
said: O’ Sheikh, the condition to step
into this Tarigha and to be considered
as of this class, is to be in their
feature and I see all such qualities of
all these points of view in you. Said:
when I first stepped into this way, I
was told to accept whatever comes from
the Divine and do not see good or evil,
thus when blessings reaches I am
grateful and when distress reaches I am
patient, the generosity of a dervish is
not the prayer carpet or robe, it is a
commandment that the servant knows and
his God.

A part of his generosities:

Sheikh Rokn-e-din Ala- O- Douleh Semnani
has said, when I used to go to the
cemetery where Imam Hanbal was buried on
the way there was a sacred dome and all
the time I used to go there, I had not
heard that an illumined righteous was
buried there. When I wanted to pass
there, I sensed a sign from the dome in
my mind that, O:
you,
where are you going, come and also visit
me too. I went and entered the interior
of the dome, in there my time became
pleasant, I saw his spirit which said:
in the manner I lived, you also live. I
asked: how did you live? Said: thus, I
bequest you, whatever comes from the
Divine, accept it. I said: If it were
acceptable, will accept it. Said:
anyhow, today it reaches you, accept it.
I said: I shall do so. When I came to
the city, I mentioned this incident to
Sheikh Nour-e-din Abdul Rahman. Said: Do
you know who does the dome belongs to? I
said: No. Said: He is called Abu Masood,
and he had a peculiar manner that
whatever reached him from Divine, he did
not refuse and did not want anything
from anyone and wore the finest clothes
and ate the finest food.

One day someone came to him and saw him
wearing a turban round his head which
was worth 200 dinars, said to himself
what is this lavishment? When from this
turban 200 dervishes can be clothed and
fed? Why should one dervish wear it on
his head? Sheikh Abu Masood got aware of
this person’s thoughts by his
illuminated insight. Said:O: you, I have not worn this
turban on my own, if you want take and
sell it and bring food for dervishes.
That person went and sold the turban and
arranged fine food and brought it after
the next prayer session. When he came to
the majlis session again, saw the same
turban on the head of the Sheikh and got
amazed. Sheikh said: Why are you
surprised? Ask that person from where
has he got this turban? The man asked
that person. He said, last year I was on
a ship, a strong wind blew against the
ship, I made a vow if the ship reaches
safely I would take a worthy turban to
the Sheikh. It is for six months that I
have been looking for a turban which my
heart desires and could not find it,
till today I saw this turban in the
shop, said to myself, this is the turban
that is worthy for the Sheikh. I
purchased and brought it. Then Sheikh
said, now you see someone else puts this
turban on my head.

[1]
In Farsi/Arabic tradition the
people used to assign a digital
value to alphabetic characters
to transform the date of death
to the meaning of words for
better remembrance. This was
called as ARTICLE OF DATE.

[2]
Takrit is a town in Iraq located
140 kilometers northwest of
Baghdad on the side of Tigris
River.